Rousseau

Rousseau was a philosopher and writer of the eighteenth century who denounced the emergence of modern commercial society and all it entailed, including the shift towards individualism instead of collectivism and the greater value placed on material wealth. He was well-known yet withdrawn from elite circles in Europe, articulating the sense of disconnect which many would later relate to when faced with a society whose values seem out of place.

Rousseau idealized ancient societies, theorizing about a 'new' Sparta of closed borders and identity, built upon the collective interest, inclusive to all its own members but highly averse to foreign influence and intrusion. Mishra writes of Rousseau as being one of the first philosophers to express the alienating feeling arising from commercial industrialization, and his work fed into later militant nationalist theories.

Voltaire

Voltaire was a philosopher and writer of the eighteenth century, and an intellectual rival...